It can be really hard to buy a meaningful baby gift for someone you don’t really know. My customers come to my shop looking for a special gift.  The first thing I always ask a customer buying a baby gift- Do you know what the nursery looks like? Most do not know what the nursery looks like.  Where do we go from there?  Although my customers do not want to buy from the standard online baby registries from the big box baby stores, I suggest we take a look at what the mom registered for. These baby registries give many clues in terms of simplicity, colors, and style  of the nursery. Do they like shabby chic? Are they more modern or traditional? Lots can be learned from looking at their list of essentials  on big box registries.

Sometimes there  are no baby registries, the only item the customer has is a baby’s announcement.  Baby announcements say a lot about the aesthetic of the new parents.

Almost 19 years ago, my sweet boy Justin was born. Wow!  My baby announcement was very simple. White and gray and meaningful words from a Springsteen song.

What can you tell from this announcement?  Well keep it simple for sure.  But also maybe a bit funky.

I would have loved this stroller blanket from Cici Crib’s online shop.

Or maybe this elephant bookend..

Or this cool clock made from bicycle parts…

Or go out on a limb and get this vintage aluminum diver helmet container, that could be used to great store little toys…

So don’t be afraid or nervous about buying the perfect baby gift if you have never seen the nursery, there are lots of clues to help you pick a fantastic gift!

See you..

Christina

My boys are just too big for the Easter Bunny. They still love jelly beans and chocolate and  the vintage  paper mache egg filled with cash. All laid out on vintage milk glass dishes. So pretty, I wonder if they notice…

See you..

Christina

A customer and I were enjoying this photo album I found at the flea market. We both were admiring the sweet vintage pics this album had to offer. Made in Norwalk, CT in 1956. It’s condition is perfect, no one ever used it. The customer needed to purchase a gift for someone who had registered at Babies R US. We looked at her registry to give us clues about her style. She decided to forgo the album. But she hoped it would be around if and when one day her  daughter in law has a baby girl.

How sweet it is…

See you…

Christina

I have always collected vintage planters from the 1940-1960′s. Way back when, they were given as baby gifts and I assume they had plants in them.   I used them to decorate my kids’ nursery.  I use them for their toothbrushes. I use them to store pencils. I have one in my bathroom.

Here is the elephant in my bathroom…

At the shop we have a planter on the counter that we use to hold pens. I used it when the kids were babies  to store A & D ointment and thermometers. It has such sentimental value. I won’t sell it…

The planter that holds the business cards sold recently. A new holder is in place…

We have put together some great little gift planters using some of  the vintage planters. They come with a minky soft rattle and a handmade baby comb from Switzerland. They will be going on our ecommerce website that will soon be up and running.  Hurrah!

See you…

Christina

Christmas is almost here. Even though the boys are teenagers, they are still counting down the days! I wanted to do a video holiday card for my blog, but it just got too complicated. I wanted to play this music box as the top whirls around. I purchased the music box from an Armonk estate sale many years ago. It is so worn and loved.

Every year I look forward to my sister’s present. Although I love the contents (we get the same gift every year- very special homemade soaps. My favorite is lavender,bergamot and lemon), it is her special wrapping that is just so beautiful. I love the vintage card.

Happy Holidays everyone!

See you…

Christina

This week I got a chance to check out some of the antiques in Stamford. So much to see! It seems it was all about cool boy decorating. From vintage sports to factory industrial to sherlock holmes to midcentury modern to nautical, the inspiration was everywhere…

See you…

Christina

There are times  a designer misses the concept of what a client is looking for. This is a fine example. I thought the customer would be as excited as I was about this concept. Great clients. Wrong concept.  It mixes touches of blues and oranges with a neutral cappuccino  color. The carpet in this NYC apartment is a Stark neutral. It will remain. The customer is pretty firmly traditional, but would like a more modern nursery.

The carpet looks like this..

I wanted to use a grasscloth wallcovering  that had  a delicate orange  trellis.

After I chose it, I saw it was used in the Kips Bay showhouse, in a very large room. As you can see the pattern is not overwhelming.

I designed this long changer finished in white lacquer. It had closed storage on the right  side, drawers in the center and a hamper on the left side. Each piece would come apart and be completely painted. This would allow for future flexibility.  Later on, one could use the hamper and dresser in different parts of the room, for example.

On top of the changer we would affix this standard tray.

The crib is very clean, but  still maintains it’s traditional roots. It would be entirely in white.

The glider is the classic glider that I have in the shop slip covered in a linen. The bedding would have dashes of blue and orange. Pic of the side of bumper is below.

Fabrics would be a thin orange stripe piping and ties  with white matelasse  and Annette Tatem soleil orange fabric that is separated by a large ric rac lace.

I wanted to use a 7′ round rug that would achor the room.If the baby was a girl it would be this one.

A boy…

Possible artwork.  Vintage educational posters…

Although the client decided not to go in this direction. The ideas will remain in the Cici Crib library….

See you…

Christina

Finally went to my first Kips Bay Decorator Show House.  It was a moment of great fun in a pretty stressful week!

Rooms were  interesting and very dramatic.  I did have favorites. The entrance foyer was by Mary McDonald.  Where lipstick red meets masculine black. I wish I could have photographed the detailing of the window treatment trim. So very tailored.  But the docent was a bit of a robocop.

Amanda Nisbet‘s maiden’s bedchamber was also a bit of 2 worlds clashing. Pretty and proper meets the wild side.   Pictures of Amanda Nisbet’s head were superimposed in the portraits of 18th century ladies that were scattered through out the room. The walls are upholstered in Nisbet’s own fabric. The area rug is actually cow hide by the super talented Kyle Bunting.

What you can’t see so well are the small delicate and luxurious touches. The pillow on the chair is a fine gold weave with a mini pink flange. Fabric is by  Hinson and Company.

The little vintage table next to the chair is from Nisbet’s private collection. With flecks of gold imbedded in a lucite, the soft lines of the piece added so much sparkle to an already glowing room.

We ended our tour in the ladies library created by Celery Kemble. A fantastic chaise anchored the room.

Notice how she replaced the wooden shelves with lucite ones.

Speaking of lucite. Love this lucite table..

Of coarse there were touches of green.  The faux painted malachite chair was purchased from 1st Dibs.

To complement the chair, a little side table was purchased from ebay and was perfectly faux painted by Alpha workshops.

So many interesting details….

See you…

Christina

I have been working with a lovely  client who subtly shows her refined Texas roots and her flair as a jewelry designer.  We have been working on her daughter’s room. The design is a bit in the transitional phase. The toddler is quickly moving into the world of a big  girl. We planned for a future bed, nightstand and desk. For now it works for her age. She loves to sit and  read with  her mom on the double glider. She loves her crib. And she loves her dollhouse.

We wanted a timeless design that the little girl could grow with. The carpet is a delicate pink and green lattice by Schumacher.

There was much discussion about the window treatments.  The client wanted very soft formal treatments. We exactly translated her wish.  I so love the chandelier that was chosen. When she saw the electrican putting toThe client had to take out her jewelry making tools to put it together. It is perfect.

For the window treatments, we decided on a  Hinson & Co. fabric and splurged a bit on the Schumacher trim.

We did a fairly large bulletin board that will eventually hang  over a desk.

I love the pushpins the client found. Made from vintage earrings…

The bookshelf was custom Newport Cottages.  The metal fairies  that flank the venetian mirror are vintage. I am not sure where the fairies came from. Maybe they were a part of a weather vane.  I purchased them from an antique mall in Ohio.  It is the unexpected element in the room.

On the bookshelf are crystal lamps from the ’50s. We purchased the vanity tray on ebay. It reminded the client of her grandmother. The vintage  porcelain southern bell is actually a music box.

For now it is room for a little girl. I will take more pics of this room as it evolves into a room for a big girl.

See you..

Christina

I always think I am missing out, when we pass signs  along the road that say Antiques.   I would never even think to stop as it would disrupt the family plan to reach our destination.  This year for the first time, the kids skiied and Miles and I actually checked out a town  that was not connected to the ski resort. We were in Bennington, VT for the afternoon. We checked out the college. We checked out the covered bridges. But the most fun of all was actually making an unplanned stop to an antique mall. What a nice surprise to find some fantastic little things for the shop.

Love this lamp for a dresser in a little girl’s room. How sweet is her face …

These hand colored 19th century French fashion prints are really special. The frame is as lovely as the prints. Completely hand carved..

I couldn’t resist these children’s busts. I am trying to figure out what to do with these. They would look great  in a modern kids room. People generally purchase items that serve a purpose for children. I am thinking of making them into bookends..

Doesn’t the little girl look a bit like Hailee Steinfield?

The last items I purchased were these teeny tiny pictures. About 3″x4″.  Perfect for Cici Crib..

See you…

Christina